Christie Talks About His Trip to Israel [VIDEO/PHOTOS]

Governor Chris Christie’s trip to Israel was not only a chance for him to sight-see and take a breather from the day-to-day stress of New Jersey. The Jersey-To-Jerusalem trade & diplomacy mission continued on Thursday with a tour of the Golan Heights and continues to Jordan later.

His trip was billed as a “trade mission,” and Christie met with a number of businesses, business leaders, and other institutions. In a conference call Wednesday, Christie noted a few ideals and opportunities he would like to bring to the Garden State.

During his four-day trip to Israel with his family, Governor Christie met with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. He indicated Teva was actively considering coming to New Jersey. Christie and the outgoing Teva CEO signed “a letter of cooperation to continue negotiations regarding Teva’s expanding their presence.”

Christie also visited Better Place, which is attempting to bring battery-operated cars to the mass market. The “number 2″ in the company spends half his time in Tenafly, NJ.

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Israel’s educational breakthrough’s caught Christie’s eye when he sat down with students and staff at The Israel Center for Education Through Excellence.

He said the groundwork has been laid to have foreign directors contact New Jersey Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf on reforms that can be applied in New Jersey.

“It’s a really interesting model that they have,” Christie told reporters. He said the approach emphasizes science, technology and math, but also uses humanities to amplify a student’s skill set.

Beyond the business, including sit-downs with the Israeli Prime Minister and President, Christie also toured the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial, the Western Wall, and the Mount of Olives.

There was speculation that Christie’s trip was an effort to better his chances in a future White House bid, but Christie said the trip “is not about anything other than us wanting to have a broader and deeper relationship with Israel.”

Christie predicted “a lot would come out of” the trip, from an economic perspective and from a diplomatic perspective.

Easter Sunday is their expected return to the United States.

Governor’s Office